Christine Quinn Proposes New Children’s Meal Regulations

NYC mayoral candidate Christine Quinn announced a new proposal today to limit the calories, fat, and salt in meals marketed to children in the city.  The regulations would apply to chain restaurants with more than 15 locations in the city, who are already required to post calorie counts.  Children’s meals at these enterprises should be required to meet the same federal standards as meals served in elementary schools, said Quinn, meaning they should contain no more than 650 calories, 7 grams of saturated fat, and 740 milligrams of sodium.

Quinn said she may still pursue the new regulations this year while she is the City Council Speaker, but that if elected mayor, she would either enact the program through the Board of Health or a legislative initiative.

New York State Restaurant Association spokesperson Andrew Moesel issued a statement opposing the proposed regulations, saying “‘The City Council, the mayor, the government shouldn’t be dictating what customers can eat in restaurants or how those restaurants can market to the customers.'”

Read more about Quinn’s proposal and reactions here and here.